ADELAfEnglish, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Germanic element adal meaning "noble". Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.

ALODIAfAncient Germanic (Latinized)Possibly from a Visigothic name derived from the Germanic elements alja "other, foreign" and aud "riches, wealth". Saint Alodia was a 9th-century Spanish martyr with her sister Nunilo.

AMELIAfEnglish, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Dutch, German, Ancient GermanicVariant of AMALIA, though it is sometimes confused with EMILIA, which has a different origin. The name became popular in England after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century - it was borne by daughters of George II and George III. Another famous bearer was Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), the first woman to make a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean.

AVA (3)fGerman, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element avi, of unknown meaning, possibly "desired". This was the name of a 9th-century Frankish saint. It was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Melk, Austria.

AVILAfAncient GermanicDerived from the Germanic element avi, of unknown meaning, possibly "desired". This name is also given in honour of the 16th-century mystic Saint Teresa of Ávila, Ávila being the name of the town in Spain where she was born.

BERTHAfGerman, English, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element beraht meaning "bright, famous". It was borne by the mother of Charlemagne in the 8th century, and it was popularized in England by the Normans. It died out as an English name after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. The name also appears in southern Germanic legends (often spelled Perchta or Berchta) belonging to a goddess of animals and weaving.

BRYNHILDRfNorse Mythology, Ancient ScandinavianOld Norse cognate of BRÜNHILD. In the Norse legend the 'Volsungasaga' Brynhildr was rescued by the hero Sigurd in the guise of Gunnar. Brynhildr and Gunnar were married, but when Sigurd's wife Gudrun let slip that it was in fact Sigurd who had rescued her, Brynhildr plotted against him. She accused Sigurd of taking her virginity, spurring Gunnar to arrange Sigurd's murder.

CYNEBURGfAnglo-SaxonMeans "royal fortress" from Old English cyne "royal" and burg "fortress". Saint Cyneburga, a daughter of a king of Mercia, was the founder of an abbey at Gloucester in the 7th century.

EDDA (2)fIcelandic, Ancient ScandinavianPossibly from Old Norse meaning "great-grandmother". This was the name of two 13th-century Icelandic literary works: the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. This is also the name of a character in the Poetic Edda, though it is unclear if her name is connected to the name of the collection.

FRIDAfSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, Ancient GermanicGermanic name, originally a short form of other feminine names containing the Germanic element frid meaning "peace". This is also the Scandinavian equivalent, from the Old Norse cognate Fríða. A famous bearer was Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).

GODIVAfAnglo-Saxon (Latinized)Latinized form of the Old English name Godgifu meaning "gift of god", from the elements god and giefu "gift". Lady Godiva was an 11th-century English noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest the high taxes imposed by her husband upon the townspeople.

HERLEVAfAncient GermanicGermanic name, possibly a derivative of hari "army", era "honour", or erla "noble" (or their Old Norse cognates). This was the name of the mother of William the Conqueror, who, according to tradition, was a commoner.

IÐUNNfNorse Mythology, Ancient ScandinavianProbably derived from Old Norse ið "again" and unna "to love". In Norse mythology Iðunn was the goddess of spring and immortality whose responsibility it was to guard the gods' apples of youth.

JUDDAfAncient GermanicProbably derived from the name of the Germanic tribe the Jutes, who originated in Denmark and later invaded and settled in England. The name of the tribe, recorded in Latin as Iutae and Old English as Eotas, is of uncertain origin.

LUITGARDfGerman, Ancient GermanicFrom the Germanic name Leutgard which was derived from the elements leud "people" and gard "enclosure". This was the name of a 13th-century Flemish nun, the patron saint of easy deliveries.

ODILIAfAncient GermanicDerived from the Germanic element odal meaning "fatherland" or aud meaning "wealth, fortune". Saint Odilia (or Odila) was an 8th-century nun who is considered the patron saint of Alsace. She was apparently born blind but gained sight when she was baptized.

ÞÓRAfAncient Scandinavian, IcelandicEither a feminine form of Þórr (see THOR) or else a short form of the various Old Norse names beginning with the element Þór. In Norse myth Thora was the wife of the Danish king Ragnar Lodbrok.